


Apple Butter (Part Two)

by skymageariel



Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [5]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Autumn, F/M, Filler, Fluff, Fun, Gen, Pumpkin patch au, fall - Freeform, pumpkin patch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:42:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26830855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymageariel/pseuds/skymageariel
Summary: Rayla and Soren head to the local pumpkin patch. Rayla hopes to find a gift for Callum, and Soren is insistant on finding the biggest pumpkin possible. The day seems to be going as normal as a day like this could, until Rayla notices the familiar blue of a jacket sported by someone else at the pumpkin patch. After chasing this mystery person down, Rayla realizes that this farm is not what it seems.
Relationships: Rayllum (The Dragon Prince)
Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946767
Comments: 7
Kudos: 37





	Apple Butter (Part Two)

“Remind me again why you need a ride to the pumpkin patch?” Soren asked, as he and Rayla turned onto the gravel driveway of their local farm.

“Because my car broke down,” she answered simply. 

“But why the pumpkin patch?” 

“Because I wanna get something for Callum.”

“What are you getting?” Soren asked, pulling the car into reverse and backing into a parking space. “And why does it have to be today? I have errands to run, groceries to get.”

“I’ll help you do that stuff after, but this is really important.” The two stepped out of the car, making their way to the farmer’s stand across the way. This farm was a staple in Katolis County. There was fresh produce for sale all autumn long. The place was complete with one of the hardest corn mazes in Washington, and the paths led to the biggest pumpkin patch Rayla had ever seen. And on a perfect, fall day like this, she was determined to find something special. 

At the farmer’s stand, there was a lot to take in. There were plenty of vegetables to choose from, as well as seeds ready to plant. There were jars and jars of strawberry jelly, raspberry jam, and apple butter. Rayla eyes the jars of apple butter, deciding if she should get one, but shook her head. This wasn’t a trip for her, this was a trip for Callum. Something to make up for the things she said. 

“Oooh, do you think he’d like this squash?” Soren asked, picking up a huge yellow gourd. “Or what about a tiny pumpkin? Everyone loves mini things.”

“Uh, I don’t think a vegetable would be a good gift,” Rayla chuckled. “You’re his friend. Is there anything here he might like?”

“You’re his girlfriend, you should know him better than I do,” he replied, comparing the size of an ear of corn to his head. 

“Well, you’ve known him longer. Has he ever mentioned anything about his favorite fall stuff?” Rayla browsed the options of autumn-themed candles. ‘Falling Leaves’, ‘Back to School,’ ‘Corn’? These candles were way too bizarre. 

“Dude, he shows up every day with a pumpkin spice latte. Just get him something pumpkin flavored.” Soren picked up a head of lettuce, also comparing its size to his head.

“Wait, you’re right!” Rayla exclaimed. On a display to the left were huge pumpkin muffins, dotted with chocolate chips. She picked out the biggest one, watching the farmer running the stand wrap it in brown wax paper and tie it with an orange bow. After she paid, Rayla stepped towards the van.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Soren said, before she could get far. “I wanna try the maze.”

“I thought you had errands to run.”

“On my list is a pumpkin! The maze ends at a pumpkin patch. We can both get one, you can give yours to Callum with the cupcake.”

“Muffin.”

“Muffin! Please can we go?” Soren pleaded. Rayla rolled her eyes.

“Fine, but we should hurry.” She glanced up at the sky, where grey clouds were rolling in. “It’s getting colder.” 

They walked across the grass, leaves crunching beneath their feet. At the entrance, a few stalks of corn rustled, as if something moved them. Choosing to ignore that, Rayla held the muffin closer to her chest. They entered the corn maze, Soren giddy, but Rayla lost in thought.

“I’m really good at corn mazes,” he bragged. “Corn’s the best.”

“That’s nice,” Rayla answered, not paying attention. She stared at the ground in front of her, letting Soren pick the directions they went in. Guilt settled in her stomach- she kept remembering back to the night before.

_ You only think about yourself- you’re selfish!  _ she’d said to him.  _ I asked you to do one thing and you couldn’t even do that.  _

_ Rayla, I’m sorry!  _ Callum insisted,  _ I was studying, and I lost track of time-  _

_ That’s a stupid excuse.  _ Rayla crossed her arms, stepping forward.  _ Come back when you figure out how to make time for other people.  _

“You okay?” Soren asked, tearing Rayla from her thoughts. “You look… sad.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Drop it, Soren.”

“Fine, fine.” They walked in silence, before Soren came to a screeching halt. “Guess where we are?”

“A corn maze?” Rayla frowned. 

“Yeah, but  _ where  _ in the corn maze?” He had this goofy grin that could only mean trouble.

“In it?”

“No, we’re in the  _ middle  _ of the corn maze.”

“Okay?”

Soren let out a breath, faking annoyance. “We’re in the middle of the maze! we’re just as close to the entrance as we are from the exit.”

“Uh, how do you know that?” 

He shrugged. “I’m good at mazes. Plus, I know how to cheer you up.”

“No need, nothing’s wrong.” If she gripped that muffin any tighter, she might squish it.

“Let’s race to the end of the maze! Winner gets that muffin.” Soren pointed to the parcel, grinning widely. Rayla shook her head.

“Absolutely not, I bought it.”

“Fine, the loser has to buy the  _ other  _ person a muffin. Deal?” He stuck out his hand, waiting for Rayla to shake it. A cool breeze rolled through the field, causing Rayla to shiver. If nothing else, she’d warm up a bit.

“Deal.”

“Perfect. Okay- we’re already at the middle of the maze-“

“Wait, so what are we doing here again?” Rayla asked, tilting her head and hiding a smile.

“Rayla, I already told you. We literally just shook on it!”

She snickered, “I’m just messing with you.”

“Aw, you little-“ Before he finished, Soren took off.

“Hey, wait, that’s cheating!” Rayla laughed, sprinting after him. She smiled in the cool air, wind moving around her like a dance. Soren was only a few paces ahead, and she was gaining on him. With a barking laugh, muffin in hand, Rayla turned. the corner, leaving Soren in the dust. Twisting and turning through the maze, freezing air nipping at her nose and biting her lungs, she left everything behind.

And then the maze came to an end, opening up to a wide field, and the guilt in her stomach settled again. She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away.

“Hah! I beat you!”

“What?” Soren called, emerging from the maze out of breath, “No way! You cheated.”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“I won, fair and square. You owe me a muffin! Now let’s not forget why we’re here,” Rayla said. 

“Right. We need to stay on mission.” Soren and Rayla split up, searching the ground for the perfect pumpkin. Off to the side were two people in dark jackets, hoods pulled over their head. If they were looking for pumpkins, they were doing a really bad job. They were just staring at the ground, kicking the dirt. While Soren went looking for a pumpkin, Rayla studied the others. At one point, the tall one pulled the shorter one by the arm, rushing back into the maze. The short one’s jacket was a familiar shade of blue. He turned to look out onto the field- Rayla looked away, so it didn’t seem like she was staring, but the kid’s face…

“Soren, hurry up, I think Callum and Claudia are here,” she said, trekking over pumpkins to get to him. 

“Look at the size of this one!” Soren said, strained under the weight of a giant, lopsided pumpkin the size of his head. “I gotta take this bad boy home.”

“Okay, whatever, but we have to go back into the maze,” Rayla said, taking a step towards the corn field. 

“Did you find a pumpkin for Callum?”

“No, because he’s here!” 

“What?”

“I saw him and Claudia go into the maze! We have to follow them.”

They made their way up to the corn field, leaving the pumpkin patch behind. Back in the maze, Rayla could feel the temperature start to drop. She zipped up her hoodie, pulling it tight, hugging the muffin to her chest. Meanwhile behind her, Soren was straining under the weight of his giant pumpkin. 

“This is so heavy,” he complained, taking wide steps to try and keep balanced.

“Why did you have to get the biggest one?”

“Because I need the biggest pumpkin in the neighborhood,” he reasoned. “I’m gonna carve my face into it.”

Rayla stifled a laugh, rolling her eyes. “You’re such a dummy.”

“Nah, I’m just a winner.”

“Soren, wait,” Rayla shushed him, holding out her hand to stop him.

“What?”

“I hear something,” she whispered, peering through the stalks of corn. Through the leaves, she saw Callum, putting on his jacket. Why he had it off in this cold was beyond her.

“Then tell her!” Claudia scolded him. 

“I will! But apple butter would help.” Callum sneezed. His nose, cheeks, and the tops of his ears were bright pink.

“You got yourself sick over mashed apples?” Claudia scolded him as they walked.

“I’m not sick,” he replied, though whenever Callum said that, he always ended up being sick. 

“That was weird,” Rayla whispered, thinking out loud. “She said ‘ _ Then tell her’ _ \- tell who what?”

“I think you’re reading too much into it,” Soren reasoned, putting his pumpkin on the ground. “They were probably just here to get a pumpkin! Though I don’t know why you and Callum didn’t go together…”

“That’s the thing, I have no idea why he’s here.” She started pacing on the one path they were standing at. She knew that under different circumstances, they _would_ have come together. Except she called him selfish. And rude. And she got really mad at him over a simple mistake- a simple mistake! He must hate her, no wonder he came with Claudia instead of her. 

“You’re making that face again,” Soren said. “Something’s going on.”

“What face! I’m not making a face!”

“You totally make a face every time you’re mad at yourself.”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yeah huh.”

“Uhg, nothing’s the matter! It’s fine.”

“We’re not leaving until you tell me what’s up.” Soren sat down, putting an arm around his pumpkin like it was a girl at the movies. “It’s therapy time with Soren,” he grinned. 

“No need for ‘therapy time’, you weirdo. I’ll just leave without you.” She turned around to leave, but Soren chuckled.

“You need me to drive you home. Your car’s in the shop, remember?” The tenacity in his voice was slightly unsettling.

Rayla groaned. “Fine. Whatever. But we need to leave soon, it’s getting cold.”

“Have a seat,” he gestured to the dirt in front of him.”

“No.”

“Fine, fine.” Soren shrugged. “What’s up.”

Rayla started pacing. “Callum’s been really busy lately. And knowing this, I asked him to come to my dad’s birthday party. He lost track of time and missed it, and I… I got really, really mad. at him.”

“Hm,” Soren wondered aloud, pretending to scratch his beard (that didn’t exist), “So what seems to be the problem?”

“I asked him to commit to an event, even though I knew that he’s been studying like crazy for the SAT next month. It was a simple mistake, but I acted like he ran over my cat or something.” 

“Is that why you wanted to get him that muffin?” Soren asked, eyebrows raised. Rayla looked down at the parcel she’d been holding. The paper was crinkled, and the stiffness in the orange bow had left, leaving it drooping down the sides. At first she thought it was a good idea, but when Soren said it out loud, it felt stupid.

“Yeah,” she confirmed. “It is.”

“Welp!” Soren lifted the pumpkin again, struggling under the weight. “Good talk. Great job handling your emotions”

“Wait, that’s it?” Rayla asked, as Soren continued down the path. “No advice? Just me spilling my guts for no reason?”

“Yep! You need to work on that anyways.” He continued on his way, Rayla frozen in shock behind him. “Don’t you feel better already?”

“Yeah,” Rayla muttered, jogging to catch up, “I guess so.”

As they left the corn maze, Rayla quickly spotted Callum and Claudia standing at the now empty farmer’s stand. Callum was slumped over, dejected and shivering. As Rayla and Soren walked closer, Claudia took off her jacket and put it around Callum’s shoulders. They turned around, making their way back to the parking lot.

“Callum?” Rayla called. Callum looked up in shock, before his face melted into disappointment. “What are you doing here?”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading! Writing rayla’s and soren’s friendship is so much fun. stay tuned for part three, coming out tomorrow!


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